Exodus 12 – God saves Israel from Slavery

Exodus 12:13 NIV

The blood will be a sign for you on the houses where you are, and when I see the blood, I will pass over you. No destructive plague will touch you when I strike Egypt.

I have always wondered what “Passover” meant. In the dictionary it meant the major Jewish spring festival that commemorates the liberation of the Israelites from Egyptian slavery, lasting seven or eight days from the 15th day of Nisan. In other words, it’s the Independence Day for Jews for which the world has adopted. But only now I understood it well.

For many countries in the world, citizens celebrate Independence Days because it meant they can live on their own race without a superior country over them. It is to recognize that they have established themselves separate from other nations with full power over themselves. It has the same concept with the Israelites then. They celebrate it because they are no longer slaves to the Egyptians which by the way last for more than 400 years. But the way it’s different is the way of celebrations. In the Philippines, we expect fireworks, grand celebrations, concerts, events and more. But for the chosen people, it was more of a celebration. These people didn’t fight for their freedom, it was given to them. By the time blood was being shed, they were eating, preparing to leave and worshiping. God has delivered them and all they needed to do was spray the blood of their dinner that night at their door fronts. They simply had to sacrifice a lamb. And during the whole Exodus, despite all the complaints and sins the people had, God still delivered them. They lacked food – God provided. They thirsted – God provided. They had foes on their way – still, God provided. God always provides after Passover. 

And so, Israelites celebrate the Passover not over grand feasts alone but with worship but they didn’t win their freedom by themselves, it was given to them.

Should Passover be exclusive for the Jews alone? At this day it sure isn’t. The New Testament has given Exodus 12:13 an all new meaning. The Lamb was sacrificed and through His blood, once again God has passed over through us. This is the very reason why in prayers, we always claim the Blood of Jesus because it is our redemption. Passover comes to every man who applies the blood of Jesus in their lives, in their homes, in their families. And thus, redemption came to us - an Independence where we are not left alone, but an Independence where we actually get dependence and that is from God. And from that point on in our lives, we face a whole new Exodus where we will be in need. With that, God will provide.

Genesis 12 – God begins the nation that will bring Jesus

Genesis 12:4-5 NIV

4 So Abram went, as the LORD had told him; and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he set out from Harran. 

5 He took his wife Sarai, his nephew Lot, all the possessions they had accumulated and the people they had acquired in Harran, and they set out for the land of Canaan, and they arrived there.

Abram has already established his life. He has his wife, children, livestock, and home. All he had to do was provide for his family, pray to God for their protection, and live a daily life of peace. Abram was a normal guy, normal as a fresh graduate set for an office based job for a 8-5 daily to provide for the needs of her family. Everybody is just like Abram, so was I.

But God chose him.

God would have waited for Moses to arrive on Earth to start a new era of humanity or He could have chosen a prince or an officer of a higher court at that time. But He chose Abram.

Abram was not special because of what he was or what he has done in his life. He is special because God chose him.

And so when God ordered that he should leave his comfort zone, he simply obeyed. Regardless of the non-feasibility of any of God’s promises, he just abides.

I always have this view of God being complex and unpredictable. I know so well that so many things are beyond man’s understanding as well as leaving one’s comfort zone is not as easy as it may sound. But Abram did it, that’s why he is special - because he acted on the call of God.

But why did Abram leave the place where he could have started a whole new humanity the way he is raising his family? God is all powerful that He can simply declare Abram’s land as the land of promise. It’s not like God has geographical issues. One reason is the tests and obstacles God has prepared for Abram and his faith. But one reason that was also revealed to me is that, God’s ways are always unique that every calls that He makes for anyone is also different from each other. Because if they were, everyone should be pastors right? We can never question God’s plan for our lives.

Indeed, I believe that every life is headed to different paths in different amazing ways. But like Abram, labeled in God’s own brand, has became special because he acted on God’s call and remained faithful all throughout the journey.

So who cares if you can’t find the rightful career path, or if you feel lost, or if you’re not sure if you made the right decision? Remember God’s unique ways of revealing Himself. Because as for me, that is life. Living with the profound purpose of knowing Him and His plans.

Picture: http://thengrace.tumblr.com/post/141110394852/psalm-4610

Awakennn

Yeah, so that title was suppose to sound like that of the ancestors in Mulan. eh? If you know what I mean haha!

Whatever. So out of my busy schedule (yeah right) and complicated career, I decided to keep this log active and post every now and then.

I will be posting stuff about Accounting, how to get away from Accounting (LOL), foooood, travelllls (lke I have a lot lol), and basically a life of a really bad introvert.

So yeah. This blog will be an open diary for the things I suppose to share to the public. SO have fun!

~jully

Trust Issues

At first his disciples did not understand all this. Only after Jesus was glorified did they realize that these things had been written about him and that these things had been done to him.

-      John 12:16

You are not expected to understand everything that happens in your life at an instant. Jesus’ disciples thought Jesus was so mysterious that everything He said was a mystery but had deep meanings to it. But apart from that odd thought, they chose to believe Him and follow Him.

This may sound cliché but it’s part of the truth and it’s also part of the very understanding of God’s Grace. Life isn’t fair. But God is. There are things that happen in our life that we truly do not understand. Some things happen beyond our understanding or somehow unexpected, such things which seems to never been a part of our lives. In my instance, I failed my board exam. All throughout my 5-year college life, I always thought I’d nail it. I even dream on topping it. But I ended up failing. Now, God has put me in a foreign land to me. I always hated the idea of living here. But here I am now leaving my family, church, friends behind and facing something I am never sure would be the outcome. I admit that life here isn’t easy. I am expected to exert more effort in all things I did in Baguio. I know I can live independently, but the fact that I am never sure of my own plans in my stay here makes it even more difficult.

Yesterday, God revealed to me His purpose of my stay here. I will know Him better and experience Him in a different way. God wanted me to see a different side of His grace and I can never be thankful of this opportunity. But on the other hand, not knowing concrete plans can be very vexing. But God never fails on giving comfort.

Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you?  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.

-      John 14:1-3

Trust in God. It’s so easy to say. But what if your salary comes in short for your daily needs? What if your family back at home needs your support? What about those nights when you’re alone and just really want you friends to be there? What about your ministry in God? How are you supposed to serve Him in a foreign land where you are very much restricted?

        Practically, living independently can be very difficult. But just imagine life in the perspectives of Jesus’ disciples. They all had their own jobs, own family and own business before deciding to do God’s ministry. I’m not saying you do the same, leave school, leave work and just stay in church forever. No. God wants you to live out His glory. Show the world how His grace changed your life so that He can change others who see that as well.

        Evangelism isn’t always about doing cells or reporting every week the people you met or even setting quotas of how many people you will bring to church this week. The main goal of evangelism is showing off God’s glory. Thus, behind all these practical questions in life, you can then say that regardless of all these limitations, you have to serve God through your life.

Then Jesus told them, “You are going to have the light just a little while longer. Walk while you have the light, before darkness overtakes you. Whoever walks in the dark does not know where they are going.

-      John 12:35

Where do I go now?

I’ve been constantly arguing with myself of my plans in life. How do get to align myself with God’s vision? How do I fix my eyes on Him? I’m not very sure if God has concretely answered that. But I’m pretty sure He talked to me on His word.

Put mud on your vision

“How then were your eyes opened?” they demanded. He replied, “The man they call Jesus made some mud and put it on my eyes. He told me to go to Siloam and wash. So I went and washed. And then I could see.”

-John 9:10

                I am very sure I had my encounter with God in Baguio. I know the vision. I was doing the vision. I may not be the perfect leader in my church. I may not be the best spiritual mother my spiritual daughters could’ve had, but I know I was caught by the vision. Or was I?

                My pastor once said, “Being caught by the vision and catching the vision has a big difference”. It is very possible that I was doing the vision that I caught myself but didn’t catch me. I love God but I lacked love for people, thus I don’t love God enough. I had great encounters with the Lord back in Baguio, but now I believe the Lord has placed me in such a position that I needed to see the vision in a different way.

                Thus, I am blind.

I.                    How then were your eyes opened?

How do I find a clearer path to God’s vision in my life?

II.                  The man they call Jesus made some mud and put it on my eyes.

You need to see a clearer view of why you weren’t caught by the vision in Baguio. You need to see how incomplete you are. You need to see all your imperfections. You need to see all the wrong things you did. You need to acknowledge all your compromises. You need to see all the things in this world that hindered you to see God in His most glorious appearance.

III.                He told me to go to Siloam and wash

You need to go out of your comfort zone and let God lead you to the way where you can wash off all these hindrances that keeps you from serving God the way you’re supposed to. Thus, Manila is not an accident.

IV.                So I went and washed. And then I could see.

I am now on my first month in my stay here in Manila and I’ve never been soi sure of going here. My heart is for Baguio but for God to truly conquer my heart, I need to leave that place for a while till I get to experience more of Hos glory in this foreign land. I need to wash off all the things that are not for me and see the true image of the Lord.

So what do you do now?

Now the day on which Jesus had made the mud and opened the man’s eyes was a Sabbath.

-John 9:14

                Pastor Carlo preached about honoring your church last Sunday. I remember him saying, “You honor your church by protecting what you love. Thus we need to protect the church by protecting our testimonies.” I left Baguio for the exact reason of failing something I thought I already had. I know God planned that for me to be here for such a great purpose which I now understand. Coming to Manila means becoming the better me which happens to include making a professional Christian out of me. I always told myself that in all the works of my hands, I will glorify the name of the Lord. That includes my profession. I am going back to Baguio with a better version of me. I may leave my friends, my family, my daughters, even my pastors there but I know in the end, everything’s gonna be alright. I trust Him. (LOL, I just realized I was out of the topic.

                Technically, I will focus on the CPA me here first, but that doesn’t give me an excuse to have a mild commitment with God. In fact, this is a bigger challenge. I will commit my Sundays for Him. I do not know my schedule yet in my weekend class but I will not miss a service because God has already given me His word. He will give me His answer as to my span of time here in this town on the Sabbath.

I am the good Shepherd; I know my shepherd and my sheep know me.

-John 10:14

Day 22: Deuteronomy 19-28

Distraction of the Now

However, in the cities of the nations the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance do not leave alive anything that breathes.

-          Deut 20:16

I remember reading the same verses in the last 90 days of challenge and most of the highlight parts are from chapter 28 which talks about all the blessings and the opposite curses of each promise. But today the lord has shown me the root cause of disobedience, which is, the past.

                In the word the Lord was very particular about every nations that the Israelites were suppose to bring down on their way to possessing the whole land. He commanded them to kill anything that stands their way. Come to think of it, the thing from our past is the things that we should not just leave behind but for us to kill.

I remember the movie The Incredibles saying “The past distracts from the now”.  Our old self can be a distraction and a start of rebellion because if we truly are submitting to God, it has to be easy for us to submit to his laws and His leaders which He has assigned to us. Therefore I conclude that disobedience comes from our old self.

However, you may cut down trees that you know are not fruit trees and use them to build siege works until the city at war with you falls.

-          Deut 20:20

Nevertheless, we also need to understand that as we kill our past and all the distractions that will come our way, we don’t run away from it. There is a big difference between running away from it and killing it. Remember that it is through our experiences that we make our testimony out of.

Warning:

They shall say to the elders, “This son of ours is stubborn and rebellious. He will not obey us. He is a profligate and a drunkard.” Then all the men of his town shall stone him to death. You must purge the evil from among you. All Israel will hear of it and will be afraid.

-          Deut 21:20-21

Day 21: Deuteronomy 9-18

The Responsibility of Power

Understand then, that it is not because of your righteousness that the Lord your God is giving you this good land to possess, for you are stiff-necked people.

-          Deuteronomy 9:6

To be called as Children of the Lord is a great privilege that comes with Royalty because He is after all the King of kings. But as what it was said in Spiderman, “Great power comes with great responsibility”. As leaders, we are not simply leading people but we are guidance to them. In fact we are only to be used by the Lord. Humility has to be evident to us when we know our real purpose.

1.     Servitude to God

Fear the Lord your God and serve Him. Hold fast to Him and take oaths in His name.

-          Deuteronomy 10:20

2.     Obedience comes with strength

Observe therefore all the commands I am giving you today, so that you may have the strength to go in and take over the land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess.

-          Deuteronomy 11:8

3.     Set Priorities Straight

Be careful, or you will be enticed to turn away and worship other gods and bow down to them.

-          Deuteronomy 11:16

4.     Kingdom Leadership not worldly sovereignty

The king, moreover, must not acquire great numbers of horses for himself or make the people return to Egypt to get more of them, for the Lord has told you, “You are not to go back that way again.”

-          Deuteronomy 17:16

5.     Wisdom seeker in the Word

It is to be with him, and he is to read it all the days of his life so that he may learn to revere the Lord his God and follow carefully all the words of this law and these decrees.

-          Deuteronomy 17:19